Combination matchbox, ejector, and ignitor



f, March 10, 1953 H. s. GooDKowl-rz l COMBINATION MATCHBOX, EJECTOR, ANO IGNITOR Filed Feb. 15, 1951 2 SHEETS-SHEET l INVENTOR.

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ATTDRNEYE March "10, 1953 H. s. GooDKowlTz COMBINATION MATCHBOX, EJECTOR, AND IGNIToR Filed Feb. 15, 1951 I N VEN TOR.

ATTE! RN EYE Patented Mar. 10, i953 COMBINATION MATCHBOX, EJECTOR, AND IGNITOR Hyman S. Goodkowitz, Martinsville, Va. Application February 15, 1951, Serial No. 211,056

7 Claims.

This invention relates to lighters of the type generally used for lighting cigarettes, cigars, pipes and the like, and in particular a comparatively thin casing having a plurality of short matches therein with means for feeding matches to striking means and also means for actuating the matches through the striking means as a cap on one corner of the case is opened.

The purpose of this invention is to provide a lighter for cigarettes, cigars, and the like in which small matches are used in place of lighter iiud and in which the matches are fed individually through striking means when the cap of the lighter is opened. Y

Various attempts have been made for using matches in lighters for this purpose but because the conventional type of match is provided with a bulky head it is difficult to store a plurality of matches in a small case and it is also difficult to feed the matches through striking or igniting 1- means without holding the matches by hand. With this throught in mind this invention contemplates a substantially automatic lighter wherein short matches are resiliently fed to a feeding position and from the feeding position the matches are fed under a striking element as a cap on the case is actuated from a closed to an open position.

The object of this invention is, therefore, to provide mechanical means for lighting matches individually wherein a plurality of matches may be carried in a comparatively small case.

Another object of the invention is to provide a lighter for cigarettes, cigars and the like using matches instead of lighter fluid as a lighting agent in which 'a comparatively large number of matches may be stored. Y

A further object of the invention is to provide a lighter for cigarettes, cigars and the like which uses small matches in place of lighter fluid, which is of a comparatively simple and economical construction.

With these and other objects and advantages in view the invention embodies a comparatively thin rectangular shape case having a match holding magazine with a resiliently actuated follower in the intermediate part thereof, an abrading element suspended by a spring arm at one end of the case, a slider positioned to receive the matches from the magazine, turn the matches to an angle of 90 degrees, and feed the matches through an area below the abrading wheel, and a cap pivotally mounted on' the case and having gear segments thereon for actuating the 2 slider as it is actuated from a closed to an open position.

Other features and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description taken in connection with the drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal section through one side of the case illustrating the parts in operative positions.

Figure 2 is a cross section through the case taken on line 2-2 of Figure 1 illustrating the match retaining magazine with the follower positioned in the lower part thereof.

Figure 3 is a sectional plan through the case taken on line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a similar section taken on line 4-4 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a section similar to that shown in Figure 1 showing the upper part of the case with the cap in the open position and with a match burning in an open chamber in the upper part of the case.

Figure 6 is a detail showing the follower which is provided in the magazine.

Figure 7 is a view illustrating the magazine with the intermediate part thereof broken away.

Figure 8 is a detail illustrating a cartridge or packet of matches in which form the matches are provided in the storage chambers of the case and which is adapted to be inserted in the magazme.

Figure 9 is a detail illustrating a clip in which the magazine is inserted and which is installed in an intermediate section in the case.

Figure 10 is a View illustrating a slider slidably mounted in the upper part of the case and positioned to turn and feed short matches from the magazine to the abrading wheel.

Figure 11 is a detail illustrating the cap pivotally mounted on one corner of the case and provided with gear segments positioned to mesh with gear racks of the slider.

Figure l2 is a view looking upwardly toward the under side of the slider shown in Figure 10 and illustrating the parts in the inoperative position.

Figure 13 is a similar view showing the slider actuated whereby a tongue thereof forces matches from a slot in a collar actuated by the slider.

Figure 14 is a detail illustrating a collar that is actuated by the slider for turning the match to an angle of degrees.

Figure 15 is a similar view showing the under side of the collar.

Figure 16 is a detail showing a section through C the upper part of the case illustrating an opening position to register with the upper end of the match holding magazine and in which the collar for turning the matches is positioned.

Figure 17 is a detail showing a section of the case illustrating an arm for actuating a pointer to show that the magazine is empty.

Figure 18 is a detail showing a sectional plan through the pointer mounting illustrated in Figure 17.

Figure 19 is a detail illustrating an abrading wheel carried by a spring arm for striking the matches.

Figure is a view showing a side elevation of the case looking toward the side in which the door is positioned.

Fig. 2l is a detailed sectional view of the head portion of a match used in the embodiment of the invention.

Referring now to the drawings wherein like reference characters denote corresponding parts the match lighter of this invention includes a comparatively thin rectangular shape case Si) having a cap il pivotally mounted in an upper corner thereof, a door i2 positioned on one side of the case and hinged to the lower edge thereof, a slider I3 slidably mounted in the upper part of the case, a collar I4 rotatably mounted in an opening I5 in a horizontally disposed partition I6 in the upper part of the case, a match holding cartridge I1 adapted to be inserted in a magazine I8, a clip I9 for holding the magazine in the case, a follower positioned in the magazine, and an abrading wheel 2l mounted in the upper end of the case by a spring clip 22.

The case IG is provided with a side wall 23 extended upwardly from the base and end walls 24 and 25 and the door I2 which provides a cover for the opposite side of the case is secured at the lower edge to the side of the base by a hinge 26 and resiliently held in the closed position, as shown in Figure 2 by aspring 21.

The upper end 28 of the case is provided with an arcuate hood Z9 and the cap II is pivotally mounted in the hood by a pin 30 with the op posite .edge 3i of the cap extended downwardly and provided with an opening 32 positioned to receive a latch 33 attached to the inner surface of the end wall 24 of the'case and provided with a button 34 whichextends through an opening 35 in the wall 24 whereby the latch 33 is pressed inwardly to release the cap. Upon releasing the cap the spring 36 positioned around the pin 30 snaps the cap to the open position as illustrated in Figure 5 and in this movement gear segments 31 and 38 on the sides of the cap and which are positioned to mesh with gear racks 3Q and Ml, respectively on the sides of the slider i3, actuate the slider from the position shown in Figure 1 to that shown in Figure 5.

In this movement a gear rack 4I on the edge of a flange 42 of the slider and which meshes with a gear section 43 on a boss 44 of the collar I4, rotates the collar I4 through an angle of 90 degrees, whereby a match 45 positioned in a slot 46 in the under surface of the collar is turned from the position shown in Figure l2 to that shown in Figure 13 and after the match is turned a tongue 41 carried by the slider ejects the match from the slot 46, forcing the match below the abrading wheel 2l to strike the head of the match. After striking the match the burning match is deposited upon a corrugated section 48 that is hinged in an opening 4B at the end of the partition I6 in the upper part of the case.

The corrugated section 4S is pivotally mounted in the case on a pin 5 one end of which is provided with a knot B by which the section 48 may be raised to discharge the match or the ashes thereof from the case, cr to deposit a burning match in a pipe In this position the match is located between the upper corners of the side walls of the case and with the cap II opened the cigarettes may be held above the burning match for lighting or the device may be used for lighting a pipe, cigar, or other device.

While on the corrugated plate the side walls and segments on the sides of the cover protect the burning match from Awind and the like.

The slider I3 is provided with flanges 50 and 5I in the upper surface of which the gear racks 35 and 45, respectively, are positioned and the anges are slidably mounted on the partition I6 of the case with the edges between inwardly extended side walls 52 and 53. The collar I4 is provided with a cylindrical flange 54 that is rotatably mounted in the annular recess l5 in the partition i6 whereby the collar is positioned, as illustratedin Figure l0 so that the gear teeth 43 mesh with the gear rack 4I in the flange 42 of the slider.

The abrading wheel 2| is positioned to engage the head of the match and the spring arm 22 that supports the abrading wheel is secured to the inner surface of the top or upper end 28 of the case at the point 55.

The matches used in this case are comparatively short, being about one-half of an inch long, as an illustration, althoughv it will be understood that the matches may be provided in suitable lengths, and the match material forming the head oi the match as indicated by the numeral 55 is embedded in a recess extended around the end of the match and also in the circular opening 5? extended through the head of the match as illustrated in Fig. 2l.

The matches are provided in cartridges or packets and with the match material forming the head ush with the surface of the stern or body of the match the matches are readily enclosed between sheets of material 58 and 59 and the sheets of materialV may be held together by guxnmed strips 60, as illustrated in Figure 8. These cartridges or packets I1 are inserted in the magazine I8 that is stationary in the case, with pins 6i and 62 on ends of the follower 2B which is located in the lower end of the magazine extended through slots 63 and 64, respectively in end walls of the magazine. The magazine i8 is also provided with a door 65 which is hinged to the front wall thereof by a hinge 66 and the door is provided with a slot 61 that regis.. ters with the slot E3 in the lower part of the magazine.

The pins Si and 52 on the ends of the follower 26 also extend through the slots Ss and 9 in arms 15 and 1i, respectively on the clip I9 and, as illustrated in Figure 9, the clip is provided with a ring 1?. that is positionedin a boss 13 on the lower end.

The arms of the clip I9 are inserted through openings 'Ill in the case and extend over the magazine i8, as illustrated in Figure l, and the ring 12 is positioned in a recess T5 in the lower surface of the base of the case.

The pins Si and B2 of the follower 2i) also extend into slots 16 and 11 of arms I8 and 19 which are pivotally mounted in the case on a pin and the arms are resiliently urged upwardly by springs 8l and 82 which are positioned around the pin Sil, as shown in Figure 3.

The pin 62 in the end of the arm `I9 is positioned to engage an arm 83 pivotally mounted in the door I2 in the side of the case by a pin 8d and as the end of the arm I9 engages the arm 83 a pointer-35 on the outside of the case moves downwardly to the letter E, thereby indicating that the matches have been exhausted from the magazine in the clip I9.

The upper side wall 53 of the case is provided with a nger recess Se to facilitate opening the door I2, as illustrated in Figure 16.

With the parts arranged in this manner cartridges or packets containing matches are stored in compartments 8'! and 88 in the lower parts of the case below the partition and the operating instrumentalities are located above the partition with the slider I3 slidably mounted thereon and with the flanges 5l) and 5I of the slider held by ribs 89 and 9S extended inwardly from the upper side walls 52 and 53 of the case.

With the parts arranged in this manner the matches in the magazine are urged upwardly by the follower 2o which is actuated by the springs 8l and 82 through the arms 'i8 and '59, through the slot el in the section 92 in the annular recess i of the partition I6, and as matches are used from the slot 6 of the collar I4 they are replaced by matches from the magazine.

Upon pressing the button 3ft the cap I I is snapped upwardly by the springs 35 on the pin 3B and as the cap is snapped upwardly the gear segments 3? and 38 actuate the slider I3 whereby a match in the slot t6 of the collar I@ is forced by the tongue il under the abrading wheel 2I so that the match head is ignited and the burning match provides means for lighting a cigarette, cigar, or other object or device. 1

It will be understood that modifications may be made in the design and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A match lighter comprising a case, a match holding magazine removably mounted in the case, a follower positioned in the magazine, resilient means for actuating the follower to eject matches from the magazine, an abrading wheel positioned in the case, a slider slidably mounted in the case, a cap pivotally mounted on the case and means actuating the slider by the cap as the cap is opened, to feed matches from the magazine to the abrading wheel for igniting the matches.

2. A match lighter comprising a case, a match holding magazine removably mounted in the case, a follower positioned in the magazine, resilient means for actuating the follower to eject matches from the magazine, an abrading wheel positioned in the case, a slider slidably mounted in the case, a cap pivotally mounted on the case, means actuating the slider by the cap as the cap is opened to feed matches from the magazine to the abrading wheel for igniting the matches, and means actuated by the slider for turning the matches through an angle of 90 degrees.

3. A match lighter comprising a case, a match holding magazine removably mounted in the case, a follower positioned in the magazine, resilient means for actuating the follower to eject matches from the magazine, an abrading wheel positioned in the case, a slider slidably mounted in the case, a cap pivotally mounted on the case, means actuating the slider by the cap as the cap is opened to feed matches from the magazine to 6 Y the abrading wheel for igniting the matches, and means actuated by the slider for turning the matches through an angle of degrees, said case having storage compartments on both sides of the magazine for storing packages of matches.

4. In a match lighter, the combination which comprises a thin rectangular shaped case one side of which is hingedly attached to the body of the case, a match holding magazine having elongated slots in the edges removably mounted in the case, a follower having pins on the ends extended through the slots in the edges of the magazine positioned in the magazine, arms pivotally mounted in the case and having slots for receiving the pins of the follower, means resiliently actuating the arms for actuating the follower to eject matches from the magazine, a collar rotatably mounted in the case and having a slot in the under side thereof positioned to receive matches from the magazine, a slider mounted in the case, an abrading wheel mounted in the case, a cap pivotally mounted on the case, a latch for holding the cap closed, a spring for opening the cap when it is released by the latch, means actuating the slider by the cap for feeding matches under the abrading wheel for lighting the matches, and means actuating the collar by the slider for turning the matches.

5. In a match lighter, the combination which comprises a thin rectangular shaped case one side of which is hingedly attached to the body of the case, a match holding magazine having elongated slots in the edges removably mounted in the case, a follower having pins on the ends extended through the slots in the edges of the magazine positioned in the magazine, arms pivotally mounted in the case and having slots for receiving the pins of the follower, means resilientv ly actuating the arms for actuating the follower to eject matches from the magazine, a collar rotatably mounted in the case and having a slot in the under side thereof positioned to receive matches from the magazine, a slider mounted in the case, an abrading wheel mounted in the case, a cap pivotally mounted on the case, a latch for holding the cap closed, a spring for opening the cap when it is released by the latch, means actuating the slider by the cap for feeding matches under the abrading wheel for lighting the matches, means actuating the collar by the -slider for turning the matches, and a pointer for indicating that the magazine is empty.

6. A match lighter comprising a case, a match holding magazine removably mounted in the case, a follower positioned in the magazine, resilient means for actuating the follower to eject matches from the magazine, an abrading wheel positioned in the case, a slider slidably mounted in the case, a cap pivotally mounted on the case, means actuating the slider by the cap as the cap is opened to feed matches from the magazine to the abrading wheel for igniting the matches, means for ejecting burning matches from the case for depositing the matches in the bowl of a pipe or for discarding the residue resulting from the burning matches.

'7..A match lighter comprising a case, a match holding magazine removably mounted in the case, a follower positioned in the magazine, resilient means for actuating the follower to eject matches from the magazine, an abrading wheel positioned in the case, a slider slidably mounted in the case, a cap pivotally mounted on the case. means actuating the slider by the cap as the cap is opened to feed matches from the magazine to the abrad- 7 ing Wheel Vfor ig'ntrg the matches, and means for manually tilting the burning matches to desired angles on an arc of 45 to .facilitate lighting thereby.

HYMAN S. GOODKOWITZ.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in .the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Denmead Nov. 10, 1896 Curtiss Aug. 13, 1912 Glavey, Jr. Jan. 10, 1928 Welch Mar. 12, 1935 Le Voci Feb. 25, 1936 

